2008 CWG Auction awash with debuts and white wines

This year's lineup of 40 auction wines includes a record number of 12 white wines, two dessert wines and a Méthode Cap Classique. The wines will be available for public tasting at the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase in Cape Town on Thursday, 21 August at the CTICC and in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 27 August at the Nedbank Atrium in Sandton.

New entries

New Guild members, Adi Badenhorst (A.A. Badenhorst Family Wines) and Dewaldt Heyns (Saronsberg) make their debut at this year's auction, whilst longstanding members, Beyers Truter (Beyerskloof) and Louis Nel (Hidden Valley) will have wines on auction for the first time after moving to new cellars. Cape Winemakers Guild Chairman Philip Costandius also makes his debut this year with his first auction wine under his own “Solo” label, an enthralling 2005 red Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend with the charming name of The Guildsman.

Limited editions

Winemakers' Guild Chairman Philip Costandius

After the successful introduction last year of limited lots of special collections in mixed cases, the Guild has increased the number of collections on offer to 12 to accommodate more smaller buyers, wine clubs and enthusiasts at the auction.

Made exclusively for the prestigious Nedbank CWG Auction, all the wines on offer have been selected meticulously by members of the Guild to represent the pinnacle of what can be achieved in South African winemaking.

“As always we have an eclectic collection of wines on this years Guild Auction. This is so appropriate to each winemaker's own philosophy and emphasizes what the Guild is all about. We have here the haute couture of wines; high quality, exclusive products made with extreme attention to detail and finish. Even the most discerning buyer will not be disappointed,” said Guild Chairman Philip Costandius.

Blanc of offer

The four Sauvignon blanc auction wines come from completely diverse regions ranging from Louis Nel's two wines from Stellenbosch (Hidden Valley) and Elim (Lands End), to Durbanville (Nitida) and John Loubser's White Savage from Constantia (Steenberg). This year's Cap Classique entry comes from Simonsig, whilst Chardonnays from Ataraxia and Jordan, both 2007 vintages, should stir up some competitive bidding, as will Teddy Hall's Chenin Blanc Auction Reserve 2007. With South African white blends showing great market potential, all eyes will be on Bruce Jack's delightful Flagstone The Weather Girl 2006. The other whites on offer are a Weisser Riesling from Hartenberg and two Semillons from Cederberg and De Grendel.

And for dessert

On the dessert front, Rudera Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest Auction Reserve is back with the 2006 vintage, and Pieter Ferreira has an alluring sweet offering called Graham Beck “1001 Nights” Muscat de Frontignan 2002, an enchanting wine which spent exactly 1001 nights maturing in French oak barrels.

Ruby reds

Amongst the reds there is plenty on offer from top producers. For Shiraz lovers there are superb entries from Boekenhoutskloof, Cederberg, Graham Beck, and Saronsberg. Great Cabernet Sauvignons will come under the hammer again this year from Etienne le Riche and Kumkani (Nicky Versfeld) whilst the Pinot noirs are from Vriesenhof and De Grendel. Two Pinotages were selected this year, a 2006 Beyerskloof stalwart and Jeremy Walker's gorgeous 2000 Hidden Valley Pinotage. There are plenty of big red blends in the auction line-up including wines from Engelbrecht Els, Kaapzicht, Thelema and Waterford. Niels Verburg has outdone himself drawing inspiration once again from his son in the naming his auction wine, Luddite Wild Hoar Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon - his son's comical pronunciation of “wild boar”.

The bulk of the wines are available in lots ranging in size from 12 to 48 bottles, whilst the smaller mixed lots comprise 12 special collections, of 6 bottles of both wines in every collection, ideal for wine clubs, collectors and enthusiasts.

Judging process

Distinctly different from wines bottled under the members' own labels, the CWG Auction wines are selected at a blind tasting and only those showing technical excellence and maturation potential are chosen. This thorough process involving the members of the Guild ensures that every wine carrying the CWG Auction label is a wine of exceptional quality.

Since its inception in 1985, the Nedbank CWG Auction has become a quality benchmark and the CWG label is an authentic assurance of quality recognised by leading wine buyers both locally and from abroad. Last year, the CWG Auction attained record sales of over R5 million with prices soaring to unprecedented heights as predominantly local buyers staked their claim. This represented an increase of almost 41% with the average price per case being R2 016.

The 23rd Nedbank CWG Auction is open to the public and will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) on Saturday, 27 September 2008. Prospective buyers who are unable to attend the auction on the day, can register in advance with the CWG and take advantage of their telephonic and proxy bidding facilities. For further details and to attend the Auction, visit www.capewinemakersguild.com or contact the Guild Office on Phone: 021 852 0408 or .